The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-01
THE NEW PHONOGRAPH.
Edison's improvements on His Marvellous
Early Inventions.

Edison's improvements His Marvellous
Early Inventions.
New York Correspondence of Philadelphia Press.
Mr.. Edison has not hitherto allowed any one
to see his new photograph in working order but
he has just given me the first exhibition
of what the instrument will do.
III 1887 Edison gave work upon the phono
grauh and turned his attention to the electric
light The phonograph required large amount
OF costly experimenting. and he could find very
few capitalists willing to advance money for
the perfection of what would PROBABLY turn out
to be nothing more than toy. The electric
light offered a commercial future, and Edison
devoted all his time and attention to it. Some
hundreds of Photographs manufactured,
and are to be found in scientific institu-
tons, where they are exhibited crriosities.
but nothing more. Edison says that notwith-
standing all his hard work upon the electric
light. the photograph would bob up in his mind
so to speak, at the most unexpected moments
When he met some apparently fatal objection
to his lamp and the results of weeks of toll
come to nothing. he would revert to his phono-.
gr. phi ard think over experiments which he
jotted down for the future; when he was com
pletely tired out with experimental work in his
laboratory, when he was unable to sleep at
night. when travelling in search of health, the
monograph, in spirit at least. was his constant
companion. Within the last year he has found
it possible return to his early love- The defects
to be to overcome III the original photograph
were: a. Want OF distinctneSS in articulation;
(2) certainty of an impression upon the foil
other material used the old photograph
quring to shout into it in order to get
the phonogreph repeat the same sentence more
than two or three times. the needle point rapid
ly effacing all marks upon the foil; az the
certainty OF hand movement or clock movement,
for motion power. OF course the phonograph
which gives out a sentence must run at exactly
the same speed at which il recorded the original
sounds, else these sounds will be distorted in
the most extraordinary fashion. Everyone of
these defects Edison succeeded in overcoming.
His present photograph occupies less space than
type writer, and can be manufactured for sale
at about $50. He uses simple form of
electric motor, requiring only four cells of
simple battery. 1t works without noise and
quires so little power that the batteries will
for month without change, and will run
the motors four five hours day. In Edi-
sons laboratory, which is finishing at
cost of nearly. quarter of million of dollars,
aid which VII be the most perfect affair of its
kind in the world the phonograph stands on
table with the battery cells underneath a
little switch causes the motor to begin revolv-
ing at the rate of eighty revolutions minute; it
makes noise and VII be covered up in the
finished instrument As soon as it starts
roller may be placed upon the metal one and the
impin9ing diaphragm brought to bear upon the
wax the second the needle point touches the
the low singing sound can be heard from
the diaphragm. This shows that all is ready.
The speaker can then talk to the photograph,